Emergency control for closed centrifuges



Nov. 27, 1934. s. H. HALL 1,982,296

EMERGENCY CONTROL FOR CLOSED CENTRIFUGES Filed Jan. 5, 1934 M VENT WF lwr/vass: M, g: Sela :72 5/7 4 Patented Nov. 27, 1934 EMERGENCY CONTROL FOR CLOSED CENTRIFUGES Selden H; Hall, PoughkeepsieL- N. Y.',"*assignor to The De. Laval Separator Company, New York N. Y., atcorporation ofi New Jersey Application January 5,.1934,Serial No. 705,323

.15 Claims. (01-. 1'92-'"-144) .My invention-relates to thatclassof centrifu- '.;of. arrodo, causes. the diaphragm "to dish: inward 'gal separators which are provided with station- .;.unles's forced outward by pressuretfrom thepipe b. ary pipe lines, tightly connected-to the separa- @Resting againstxth'e hooks-.izand m is a rodpthe tor, for the supply and dischargeof liquid. Such cvcenterrof which is connectedpby a rod q, withtone 5 centrifugal separators are. known as closed cenx'GIldlOf a :pivoted weighted: lever r carrying-wona .60

trifuges. verticalararm', twonpins ss-between which runs a In Lindgren patent applications Numbers 563,- :belt t onto a pulley u tight on a shaft 21 from 539- and 563,540; both filed September 18, 1931,"whi'ch the separator;...andtits ieeding pumpeare and .in application Number 652,745, filed J anu- ;;..driven. i Adjacent to. the tight pulley uis another ary 20, 1933, there are shown closed centrifugal. pulley. 8.loose.on theishaftv..Looselyattached aamachines which, at the inlet. and the outlet, are -Ltolthedoosepulleyl- 8 is a shammer w: adaptedpon V pr0vided with flexible packings made of rubber 'rotation zofithe-pulley,ato strike a? gong .9. or similar material. .In order tov have the needed uAttached toithe weightednrend :of lever rriis a -fiexibility these packings. are necessarily made fiplungert m which; through a: :bellcrank:y;:may l5 thin and will eventually. break in use, causing -Jforce. aibrake zag'ainstitheiside'iof the .centrifu-W wastage of the material; which maybe. of consid-- -gal bow1 '10.

erable value, as when separating-rich cream from I he operation of the apparatus :shown. in Fig. milk. If an attendant-isnot athandtorimme- -2 is:as followszr Innc'ase a" packing braks;'!;the diately stop the machine, the loss may be. serious. small chamber surrounding therpacking quickly 20 One of. the objects-of the inventionis-to-auto- I" fills and liquid' flows thence: throughtube' e or "matically stop-.thefeed of liquid beingseparated tube" .into cupz g. 1? The ="weight:rof.' cupr'g soon in case of leakage from a broken packing. overcomes the counterbalance weightahj'swing- The a ki dmm b t t in :ing thelever to move hook i'toitheoleftland re- ;contact withthem are so..sma1l.that,: if .run dry 1ease the' left hand'a'end ofarod pf, fforflany ;25xor: run without a circulation .of .liquidthrough reason; the isupplyw oil"liquid:ato1.:the:".:*machine.

.them,.they will-bequickly overheatedandinjured lplessurewagainstilbhel diaphragm 7' nor destroyed. will reduce and theispring willrlpi'illtthewhook A second object of my inventionisto automat- 150*the"righfilandirelealseftheright e d 1.ically stopthe machine in casenoftcessation of d' PH InPlither-fcflise, beingiinothing :30..fi0w .of liquid through'the machine. to "liold the left hand end: of .ftheclever r down,

1, -In theaccompanying drawing. whichillustrates i willvbewfqrcedl up y d B d embodiments of my invention: i -d0Wn.Thevertical larmrwilhmoveito wFigure 1115 a. perspective t i e a closed-,septhe right; shifting-thebelt ti ontothedoosepul- .arator. Figure an aside -.e1evation.- in-part dia- 7$ y h final' m vement of lever r brake z 335' grammatic, illustrating .one .type .of emergency p fl b y 'q y pp step. Figure 3 is a similarview:ofanothertype' the machineof emergency stop. -1Botl1- saidxembodiments.of- R tation of 'the loose p 3"Wi11 "callse'ithe ..the: invention are .adaptedtoaccomplish both of"" y attachedrhammer w and-strike the purposes above stated. Figure dis asectional 1917116 adjacent g u y attend 40" viewuof=v a, typicalupacking box. .forclosed -cenantth'at themachine has been stopped.I"He wi1l trifuges, thnemptythecup g'and'e'ither'replace awbroken Referring to Figure 1: a is a elosedcentrifugal "fgasket, 0 fi the p y fi p d flon separatorwith .inlettube b. and :outlets c and d t u the callse'bf ppa for separated .heavy' and slight. constituents .reyp doWn-on'rod q,- h machine and p p ctively In-1such= .separators.. cliambersare "are started. "Ihe hooks i and m"-will resume provided whichsurroundthepackingeand:catch the al. pos t ons andthe rod '1 c .anyn'leakage therefrom. e -and f .areQdrainage "again placed against a h y mtubes from such chambers.adjacentto.thelower The apparatus shown in Fig. 3 differs 'from .i and uppe packings respectively. that'shown inFig. 2 in that" the stoppage of the "50 Referringto Figure 2:; g is a .cup counterbal- "bowl" and pump is-contr'olled electricallyinstead anced by a weight h on a pivotedllever hhaving tof" mechanically. 'The elements b. e, fyg; h, y, .-.a book i. I i; isv adiaphragm forming one side of o; mand n 'are'the same as in Fig; 2 (except .a chamber k communicating. withlthe feed pipe that levers h and m are not provided with hooks) b. :A. pivoted lever m with ahook m is p'ulledto Tand are indicated" bythe same referencedetters.

5 -wardthe.diaphragm by a spring n and, by means 1 11 and-12 are movable terminaIsCOn-IeVeIs' h and its feeding pump. In thiscircuit is a switch 23 normally closed through the driving motor but which, when magnet 16 is-energized, will open the circuit through the driving motor and close it through a coil 24. around a magnetic brake adjacent to the separator howl 25.

The operation of the apparatus shown in Fig. 3 is as follows: If a gasket breaks, liquid will flow through pipe e or ,f and fill cup 9, forcing it down and causing the movable terminal 11 to contact with the stationary terminal 13. If, because the supply tank is emptied or for any other reason, the feed stops, the pressure on the diaphragm 7' will reduce and the spring 11. will pull the lever and the movable terminal 12 to the right into contact with the stationary terminal 14. In either case the circuit through the batteryand magnet 16 will be closed and the magnet energized, shifting the switch 23 to open the power circuit to the driving motor 22 and close it through magnet 24, thus applying the brake to stop the machine. At the same time terminal 17 is swung from contact 18 to contact 19, closing the battery circuit through bell 20 and causing it to ring and give an alarm. The attendant can then correct the trouble, reset the emergency stop, and start the machine in the usual way.

Under special conditions making such action 1 desirable, the drive-stopping means may act on either the separator drive or the pump drive without operating on the other; and where the claims refer broadly to driving means or stoppage means, they are intended to cover the means for driving or stopping either the separator or the pump or both.

While the destructible packing and the means for carrying away liquid leaking therethrough may be of any suitable type, one such arrangement is shown in Fig. 4. The packing box is postioned between a pipe (which may be for supplying liquid to, and discharging liquid from, the separator) and the lower part of a hollow,

shaft 31' rotating with the bowl and communieating with its interior. The packing box comprises an elastic collar having a tube-shaped part 32 pressed by the liquid against shaft 31 and a disc-shaped part 33 locked to the packing 7 Patent is:

box by nuts 34 and 35.

While this packing is particularly adapted to minimize or prevent leakage while it remains in good condition, any leakage that may occur will flow into the chamher around shaft 31 and escape through opening 36, with which tube e, for example, may be assumed to be connected.

What I claim and desire toprotect by Letters 1. In a centrifuge of the closed type, the. combination with a rotary bowl, driving means, liquid flow channels communicating with the bowl,

and packing between said channels, of a drain channel adapted to receive. liquid escaping through said packing, and mechanism, whose operation is controlled by such escaping liquid, adapted to render said driving means inoperative.

2. In a centrifuge of the closed type, the combination with a rotary bowl, means to supply liquid under pressure to the bowl driving means, liquid flow channels communicating with the bowl, packing between said channels, of a drain channel adapted to receive liquid escaping through said packing, a device subject to the pressure oi the supply liquid, means to operate said device upon a given reduction of said pressure, and mechanism, operable by the operation of said pressure device and also by such escaping liquid, to render said driving means inoperative.

3. In a centrifuge of the closed type, the combination with a rotary bowl, bowl driving means, bowl stoppage means, liquid flow channels communicating with the bowl and packing between said channels, of a drain channel adapted to receive liquid escaping through said packing, and mechanism, whose operation is controlled by such escaping liquid, adapted to render said bowl driving means inoperative and said bowl stoppage means operative.

4. In a centrifuge of the closed type, the. combination with a rotary bowl, means to supply liq uid under pressure to the bowl, bowl driving means, bowl stoppage means, liquid flow chan nels communicating with the bowl, and packing between said channels, of a drain channel adapted to receive liquid escaping through said packing, a device subject to the pressure of the supply liquid, means to operate said device upon a given reduction of such pressure, and mechanism, operable by such escaping liquid or by the operation of said pressure device, to render said bowl driving means inoperative and said bowl stoppage means operative.

5. In a centrifuge of the closed type, the combination with a rotary bowl, bowl driving means,

bowl stoppage means, means to supply liquid under pressure to the bowl, liquid flow channels communicating with the bowl, one of the channels being rotatable and the other relatively stationary, bearings, between said channels, injurable by operation without liquid flow there through of a device subject to the'pressure of the supply liquid, means to operate said device upon a given reduction of said pressure, and. mechanism/operable by the operation of said pressure device, to render said 'bowl driving means inoperative and said bowl stoppage means operative. I

6. In a centrifuge of the closed type, th'e'combination with a rotary bowl, driving means, liquid flow channels communicating with the bowl", and packing between said channels, of a drain channel adapted to" receive liquid escaping through said packing, a vessel adapted to receive liquid from the drain channel, and mechanism, operable by the weight of liquid received in said vessel, to render said driving means inoperative.

7. In a centrifuge of theclosed type, the combination with a rotary bowl, driving means, liquid flow channels communicating with the bowl,

packing between said channels, of a drain chan- 'nel adapted to receive liquid escaping through said packing, an electric circuit, driving means in said circuit, and mechanism, whose operation is controlled by said escaping liquid, adapted to open said circuit.

9. In a centrifuge of the closed type, the combination with a rotary bowl, means to supply liquid under pressure to the bowl driving means, liquid flow channels communicating with the bowl, packing between said channels, of a drain channel adapted to receive liquid escaping through said packing, a device subject to the pressure of the supply liquid, means to operate said device upon a given reduction of said pressure, an electric circuit, driving means included in said circuit, and mechanism, whose operation is controlled by said pressure device and also by such escaping liquid, adapted to open said circuit.

10. In a centrifuge of the closed type, the combination with a rotary bowl, driving means, liquid flow channels communicating with the bowl, and packing between said channels, of a drain channel adapted to receive liquid escaping through said packing, an alarm, and mechanism, whose operation is controlled by such escaping liquid, adapted to render said driving means inoperative and actuate said alarm.

11. In a centrifuge of the closed type, the combination with a rotary bowl, means to supply liquid under pressure to the bowl, driving means, liquid flow channels communicating with the bowl, packing between said channels, of a drain channel adapted to receive liquid escaping through said packing, a device subject to the pressure of the supply liquid, means to operate said device upon a given reduction of said pressure, an alarm, and mechanism, operable by the operation of said pressure device and also by such escaping liquid, to render said driving means inoperative and actuate said alarm.

12. In a centrifuge of the closed type, the combination with a rotary bowl, driving means, liquid flow channels communicating with the bowl, and packing between said channels, a device subject to the pressure of the supply liquid, mechanism adapted to render said driving means inoperative, and a trip, operable by said pressure device upon a given reduction in said pressure, to render said mechanism operative.

13. In a centrifuge of the closed type, the combination with a rotary bowl, bowl drivingmeans, bowl stoppage means, means to supply liquid under pressure to the bowl, liquid flow channels communicating with the bowl, one of the channels being rotatable and the other relatively stationary, bearings, between said channels, injurable by operation without liquid flow therethrough, of an alarm, a device subject to the pressure of the supply liquid, means to operate said device upon a given reduction of said pressure, and mechanism, operable by the operation of said pressure controlled device, to render said bowl driving means inoperative and said bowl stoppage means operative and actuate said alarm.

14. In ,a centrifuge of the closed type, the combination with a rotary bowl, bowl driving means, bowl stoppage means, liquid flow channels communicating with the bowl, and packing between said channels, a device subject to the pressure of the supply liquid, mechanism adapted to render said driving means inoperative and stoppage means operative, and a trip, operable by said pressure device upon a given reduction in said pressure, to render said mechanism operative.

15. In a centrifuge of the closed type, the combination with a rotary bowl, means to supply liquid under pressure to the bowl, driving means, liquid flow channels communicating with the bowl, packing between said channels, of a drain 

